Cougar News Family Newsletter

Instructional Delivery Method Change Window- Monday, October 19-Sunday, October 25.

Monday 10/19- 7th Grade FB vs. Hughes MS @ BISD stadium. Games start at 5pm.

Tuesday 10/20- 8th Grade FB vs Hughes MS @ BISD stadium. Games start at 5pm.

Thursday 10/22- Volleyball vs. Everman Baxter @ KMS. Games start at 5pm.

If you would like to change the method of instructional delivery for your student ( on campus >> virtual or virual >> on campus), please review the information below.

Beginning October 19th, all Burleson ISD parents who want to change from on-campus instruction to virtual instruction or from virtual instruction to on-campus instruction for the 3rd six weeks can log in to Family Access and complete the “2020 - 21 Instructional Choice for 3rd Six Weeks” form. Please complete this form by October 25th for each student who you wish to switch.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO FAMILY ACCESS

If you do not know your Family Access Login/Password, you can click on the “Forgot your Login/Password?” link to have this information emailed to you. For additional help, please email ONLINEFORMS@BISDMAIL.NET for assistance.

If you wish for your student to remain in the same method of instructional delivery, you do not have to complete this form.

No response on the form means that your current choice continues for the third six weeks.

Our Online Book Fair will begin October 25 and run through November 7.

Supporting a love for reading is critical to student success. Explore our online book fair and help your child find their next favorite book.

Now everyone can participate! Encourage your child to create their online wish list and share with friends and family.

efairs.follettbookfairs.com

Our eFair code: Z258K

Orders due by: November 7th 2020

For every purchase made, we will earn up to 40% back in rewards to help support our school!

Goldstar Transportation asked us to distribute information about the Safe Stop app for parents. This allows parents of bus riders to track where your student's bus is and set alerts for when the bus enters certain zones.

To complete the registration for the Safe Stop app, you will need the following pieces of information:

1. School access code: 1160

2. Your student's ID (also known as their lunch code). This can be found in Skyward.

3. Bus # your student(s) ride

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but due to extremely extended shipping times, we have to reschedule our PSAT test for 8th graders to Wednesday, October 28th.

If you are a virtual student, you have the opportunity to come up to Kerr to take the PSAT on this date. Reach out to Tisha Grigsby for more information- tgrigsby@bisdmail.net

Thank you for following our procedures during drop off and pick up procedures daily.

We use both entrances- the front and the side- for drop off in the mornings. Please have your student exit when directed to do so by a staff member. This helps the traffic continue to move expediently.

Just a reminder, if you are on campus for meal delivery, athlete drop off/pick up, or any other reason during our drop off and pick up times, we respectfully ask that you continue to follow the directions given by staff members.

We all have to work together to keep our procedures safe and efficient. Thanks for your support!

Teachers are able to offer tutoring for students by appointment to ensure we are not overcrowded in a classroom.

If your student needs tutoring in a specific class, please reach out directly to the teacher to set up a mutually agreeable time for both the student and the teacher.

Teachers are able to do Zoom tutoring sessions for virtual students.

On Monday, October 12th, our Kerr Cross Country team competed in the Quad County District Meet to close out their abbreviated 2020 season.

Congrats to Ella Magallan for her overall win as the 8th grade girls Individual District Champion! Congratulations Ella!!

8th Grade Girls are overall Quad County District Champs from comparing meet times, barely edging out Nichols! Congrats for back to back District Championships! We are very proud of our ladies XC team!

Manny Grimaldo won the Individual title for the 8th grade boys Zone 2 and was 2nd overall in Quad County!

7th Grade Boys won Zone 2, and as a team are considered Champions of Zone 2! Congrats on winning a District title for zone 2 by a 1 point margin over Hughes.

Check out the link below for more detailed results!

https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/173524/results

ALL athletic event ticket sales will take place online at this link: https://www.burlesonisd.net/Page/3377

We will not be selling any tickets at the door at any of our athletic events.

Guidelines for athletic events:

-Every other row must remain open

-Families can sit in pods up to 10

-Each pod must be socially distanced at least six feet from another group or individual

-Masks are expected to be worn unless you are eating or drinking

-All student spectators must be accompanied by a parent to games

Thank you for abiding by these expectations so we can continue to host athletic events and allow our student athletes to compete!

We've had a couple people request examples of pants that are in BISD dress code. We are including a few pictures below of pants that have been worn to school that meet dress code requirements.

Reminder: All rips in jeans that show skin must be below the fingertip level.

You will find the 2020-2021 BISD Student Dress code here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wg8o0xJB80HVjEd3EHKnuuHCGRH5_-QC/view

A few reminders about dress code:

-All skirts, shorts, holes/rips in pants must be below the fingertip.

-Crop tops are in style right now, but these are not allowed in the dress code. Shirts and blouses must coverthe entire torso at all times, even in movement.

-No spandex or leggings allowed. Pants are defined as having seams and pockets.

-No hats

-Pajamas and zip up onesies are not allowed

This year, Kerr MS has aligned with the cell phone policy that Hughes MS implemented last year.

Our desire is for all students to be engaged in learning and connect with each other in meaningful, appropriate ways during their time at school.

We believe that middle school students are very social by nature, and we strive to provide ways for students to be social at school. We encourage students to have conversations and connect with those around them in classrooms, passing periods, and during lunches.

Students are not permitted to be on their cell phones during the school day. We understand that there are times where a parent needs to relay a message to a student, or when a student needs to contact their parent during the school day. We encourage parents to call the front office and we will deliver messages to students, or we encourage you to email your student information needed.

If there is a circumstance where a student needs to step out and call or text their parent, they just need to ask the teacher's permission and we will all them to do so.

Our cell phone policy is below. Please reach out to any administrator if you have questions about this policy.

We appreciate your help and support!

REVIEW:

We have adjusted our original drop off plan that was sent to you during the few past weeks. We are no longer allowing you to drop off your student in the second outside lane. The second lane is now designated for exiting the property. I attached a map showing the adjustments we made. I thank you for patience as we navigate balancing social distancing and kids safely exiting cars.

As a reminder of our morning drop off strategy, I have listed a few procedures that will help.-

Students should be prepared to exit the car immediately when the car stops in the drop off zone. This is different than last year. We only allowed cars to pull to the side of the school for drop off.

Unlike last year, we are using all three entrances to aid in social distancing, so students can exit the car at any time the car stops within the drop off zone.

If the student is not ready to exit, please pull around to the parking lot using the left lane.

After the student exits the car, you can pull forward to exit or move to the left lane to exit.

Please help us keep all of our Cougars healthy by screening your student for COVID-like symptoms before sending them to school.

If your student has a temperature of 100.4 or higher or is exhibiting COVID-like symptoms, please do not send your student to school.

Please send your student to school in a mask that covers their mouth and nose. We will have additional masks on hand for any student who needs one; however, we encourage students to wear a mask they have selected and feel comfortable in. Everyone has different preferences for design, style, and comfort.

We will also be encouraging frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing throughout the school day.

Please see the BISD Health Protocols page for more information.

Thank you for helping keep our Cougars healthy!

Our goal is to always be prompt and responsive to your questions and concerns; however, an immediate response is not possible in most all situations.

Our teachers teach six out of seven class periods each day. They are assigned one conference period per day that is used for planning, meetings, parent contact, and other tasks required for their job.

Per BISD Board Policy, please note that teachers will respond to you within 24 hours of an email or phone call.

Setting an appointment with a teacher, counselor, or administrator is strongly encouraged to ensure the person you need to visit with is available during your call/visit. We are happy to set up virtual meetings or phone calls as well.

Need Tutoring? Check this out from Texas A&M!

Education major students at Texas A&M are offering free tutoring for students K-12 Monday-Friday (over the phone or Zoom) through their program, the Aggie Homework Helpline.

A parent/guardian would have to sign up for the student.

They have two options:

1. They can sign up for a Regular Homework Helper (set days and times every week), or

2. Sign up for an On-Demand Homework Helper (last-minute request for tutorial)

https://education.tamu.edu/aggie-homework-helpline/

Email: kalee.mcmullen@bisdmail.net
Website: https://www.burlesonisd.net/kerr
Location: 1320 East Hidden Creek Parkway, Burleson, TX, USA
Phone: (817)245-0750
Facebook: facebook.com/KMSCougars
Twitter: @KMScougars